The Columbus Blue Jackets are finally getting the chance to participate in an outdoor game. The NHL announced that Columbus would play host to the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium on March 1st, 2025, playing off the storied Ohio State vs. Michigan football rivalry.
Ohio Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 102,780, is the 12th oldest collegiate stadium in the United States and will provide the league with another opportunity to have 100K + fans in attendance. The NHL previously saw over one hundred thousand fans attend the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at “The Big House” in Michigan.
“This is an event our fans have been extremely excited about, and the Blue Jackets could not be happier to take on the NHL’s team from that state up north next season in one of the world’s most iconic sports venues,” Blue Jackets president and alternate governor Mike Priest said in a statement.
The Red Wings have 3 former Michigan Wolverines on their roster in Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher, as does Columbus with Adam Fantilli, Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson. Neither team currently has an Ohio State alum, although Jack Roslovic and Cole Sillinger are both Ohio natives.
With Columbus’ participation in next year’s event, that leaves just Florida and Arizona as the lone franchises yet to take part in an outdoor game. In addition to the Blue Jackets and Red Wings renewing hostilities, the league will also see the Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field in what will be Connor Bedard’s first outdoor event at the NHL level.
Photo: Michael Barera. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.